This invention pertains to the art of personnel monitoring or control systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to rotary gate devices which facilitate controlled passage between two separated areas.
The invention is particularly applicable to a turnstile for use in controlling and/or monitoring the passage of personnel between two distinct areas, such as at entrances and exits into and out of various buildings or facilities. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention can be readily adapted for use in other rotary gate environments, such as revolving doors and the like.
Conventionally known turnstiles have generally comprised cage-like structures having enclosure walls which have typically been defined by arcuate sheet members or an assembly of intersecting vertical and horizontal members disposed in an arcuately shaped pattern. Prior turnstiles have also included rotor constructions including vertically disposed pivot columns having vertically aligned rows of barrier arms extending radially outward from the columns. The spacing of adjacent rows of arms was sufficient for a person to pass through the turnstile as the rotor is rotated. It has been found, however, that defects in these constructions are such that the rotor's value is impaired.
One problem has been the number of separate or individual component parts utilized for the manufacture of the turnstile which has caused inventory, manufacturing and assembly difficulties. Another problem with preassembled constructions is that they are heavy, awkward, and costly to ship and install. Further, prior constructions were time consuming to install since they included numerous nuts, bolts, or rivets which needed to be affixed to the pivot column or the mounting columns. Additionally, if one of the barrier arms was broken in the conventional turnstile, it was difficult and time consuming to replace that barrier arm.
It would be advantageous to provide a locking system for the barrier arms which would prevent any play of the arms when someone attempted to pull out a barrier arm from the pivot column. However, it would be advantageous to allow the barrier arms to be selectively removed from the pivot column for purposes of replacement, repair, or the like.
Still other problems encountered with prior turnstile constructions have centered on the rotor control mechanisms, which have not been particularly reliable nor have they provided the degree of flexibility in operation to accommodate the various desired rotor operational modes.
One common limitation in conventional turnstiles is that when any pressure is exerted against a barrier arm, the turnstile will not unlock. In heavy traffic situations, particularly in the transit industry, this plays havoc with trying to move people efficiently and safely at the greatest speed. With everyone pushing, it is difficult for anyone to back up in order to disengage the locking mechanism.
Another problem turnstile manufacturers have always had is the need to fabricate and assemble their products in the plant so that they are shipped to the site of use in one piece. There is a weight and bulk problem inherent in such a practice, which adds considerably to the cost of the turnstile. Another problem is that skill is required to assemble the turnstiles and this cannot be done by untrained laborers.
If the turnstiles could be shipped and stored in parts, the size of the shipping crate would be reduced greatly and the weight of the crate would also be reduced, resulting in a smaller shipping fee. In addition, more room would be available at the manufacturing plant to store the finished product and at the shipper to ship the product since each turnstile would take much less room. Thus, the product could be stacked much higher than previously when entire turnstiles had to be assembled at the manufacturing plant.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved apparatus which overcomes all of the above referenced problems and others and provides a new rotary gate construction which is simple in design, economical to manufacture, light in weight, and of considerable strength, easy to assemble and install on site, reliable for a range of operational modes and readily adapted to a variety of applications.